bmi diamond club - LGW-MCO: BA or VS in Y?

Title hopefully says it all. I am planning a trip to MCO next summer and have a pile of DC miles - enough for me, the Mrs and 2 kids.

I can spend 50,000 miles each + tax and fly LGW-MCO on VS by redeeming through BMI DC - or I can spend the exact same amount and go same route on BA if I move my DC miles to BA.

Now, I know that airline choice is a very personal thing.. What's important for me are the following (in rough descending priority order):

- Seat space and comfort (it is a ten hour sector after all)
- IFE, especially for kids who will be 10 and 3
- Onboard service/attentiveness - will I be left for 3 hours while crew hide in the galley ignoring the call bell, or will I get regular runs through with the drinks cart and - dare I say it - a smile?
- Ground experience - it would be lovely to think that I could be through the bag drop queue and en route to security in less than 30 minutes...

I haven't flown BA or VS longhaul for many many years so have no idea what the products are like. I would welcome your experience and opinions.

TIA

In Y they're pretty much the same. Do you have any status? Although there's no chance of getting into the BA lounges unless your wife has status as well (as they class the two kids as guests) and the BD*G deal for getting into the Virgin Clubhouse is over (and was only LHR anyway) having priority check-in, fast track and boarding would swing it towards BA.

Otherwise see which airline has availability on the days you want and if they both do then go with the lowest taxes.

Also check the cost of a cash booking as sometimes it's almost as cheap to just buy a ticket and then you'll earn more miles on top of that.

Don't know if your budget stretches to it, but you could consider trying to buy WT+ seats with BA and MFU'ing to Club World. I think you'd only be looking at 25,000 Avios per passenger return (100,000 total for the family), and this would leave you with 100,000 Avios in your pocket for another trip in the future.

That said, WT+ tickets to MCO during school holidays are likely to be pricey (unless you can get seats in a BA sale), so this may not be feasible.

VS Taxes etc are likely to be less than BA...VS are also more Child Orientated Back-Packs etc.[That's why I avoid them]:D

Are you able to get miles/avios seats for 4 ? that would be my first place to start, see if you can get the seats !

cs

VS Taxes etc are likely to be less than BA...VS are also more Child Orientated Back-Packs etc.[That's why I avoid them]:D

Thanks. Just priced it as an exemplar for Jun-13

Taxes on VS = 328.30
Taxes on BA = 328.86

(the difference is the UK PSC - £11.20 for VS, £11.76 for BA - guess that's LGW S vs LGW N)

Not much in it - unsurprisingly as it's to/from same airports.

Ummm has anybody mentioned that if you intend to use BMI DC miles for this, the Virgin relationship is about to close? you only have August. But if using BA or VS revenue bookings, the various suggestions above look well worth trying.

Thanks. Just priced it as an exemplar for Jun-13


But sadly June '13 isn't the same as July or August '13, when any airline can fill flights to the brim with fare paying passengers between Europe and Florida.

I really think that hoping to get 4 seats - even in economy - on award miles on meaningful dates is a shade on the optimistic side.

Am not trying to rain on your parade, just hoping to put a degree of perspective on the situation!

Best of luck

Tony (father of three, also now tied to trying to use miles during the school hols...)

If MCO is a problem look at TPA its only 40 mins Longer to Kissimmee or Disney World area. Usually Faster Immigration, Better Baggage collection, Faster Rental Car Pick-up. And 10 times better for security on departure.